


Those Were The Days

by Katsuragi



Series: The Boy and The Barista [8]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-04-06 06:32:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19057147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katsuragi/pseuds/Katsuragi
Summary: His birthday is right around the corner and Goro struggles.





	1. Chapter 1

There is a calendar hanging on the kitchen wall, and with each passing day Goro tries to pretend he doesn’t see it. Unfortunately, a big red smiley face drawn on the paper was intentionally made to be as flashy as possible to whoever walks by, and each time Goro looks at it, the mocking expression seems a little bit more real.

His birthday is right around the corner and no matter the circumstances, Goro doubts that any celebration will actually be involved. 

If only convincing everyone would be as easy as it sounds. Akira’s been acting like there’s a secret only he is privy to, and the random questions Goro is occasionally asked both by Akira and Morgana are starting to get on his nerves. Subtle jokes about his plans for the next week ( _If I had 100 yen every time you told me I’m handsome, I’d still have nothing. How am I supposed to take you to the restaurant you’ve been telling me about, let’s say… next week?_ ), sudden questioning of his fashion choices ( _Between that cute sweater and the jacket you’ve always wanted, explain which one would you chose and why would it be letting me buy you both in exchange for your eternal love_ ), and rather interesting offers of spending their free time together ( _I know you like cycling, but I have something else you can ride_ ), convinced Goro that Akira lost his air of mystery a long time ago.

It’s not that he doesn’t appreciate the effort Akira is willing to put into celebrating together. Every little hint still brings a smile to his face, even if inside Goro is on edge at every mention of the dreaded day. 

The only time he ever felt happy during his birthday was the short time he spent with his mother. It was barely anything, just a small cake and blowing the candles, his childish mind wishing for ludicrously bright future he never got. Soon enough, he was the only one to remember about his birthday when he realized that the foster home considered celebrating a waste of time and money. 

Since then, no matter how much Goro tries to tell himself that the date is of little importance, the ghost of happiness he once tasted continues to haunt him till this day. It shouldn’t matter now, he should finally put the past behind him and let himself enjoy the newfound future he once wished for, but never thought he would ever experience. Still, old habits die hard.

Although not much of a habit, the pre-birthday depression hits him no matter how little Goro glances at the calendar. Not to say that his life is a bed of roses during the rest of the year, but at least once his birthday comes around, Goro can put a blame on something that is not his bad decision making. Even if it’s for that reason he can never fully enjoy anything in life.

Through all the years of living alone, Goro never once learned how to properly cope with loneliness. He always repressed it, kept it hidden and denied that something so simple is still capable of having control over him. Whenever it became too much, it always ended up with him breaking down and wasting an entire day staring at a wall and laying in bed. 

When he became a celebrity, suddenly the whole world was set on reminding him how important he is. His fans would bombard him with gifts, all with little to no thought put into them but still better than nothing. Most of it was just chocolate and flowers, both impermanent and useless to him. He couldn’t eat anything due to the safety reasons anyway, and soon the smell of withering flowers would become unbearable, to the point where he threw the flowers away as soon as he got them.

He tried to tell himself that it’s genuine, that people really _do_ care about him. But the more popular he got, the more every gift felt like a fresh stab to his heart, and at the end of the day Goro could only hope he got enough resolution left to not grab his gun as soon as he’s back at his apartment. 

Instead, just to make his demise a little bit more interesting, he decided that safety protocol be damned, eating too much chocolate seems like a great way to go. Three boxes later he was dozing off in front of the TV with no sign of food poisoning, and few hours later he was stuck in the bathroom and regretting leaving his gun in the hall. In the end, having a sweet tooth ended up being a much cheaper addiction and a way to handle reality than any other.

This time, however, his craving for sweets is not enough to save him from overthinking, and if Akira noticed all the empty chocolate boxes, he never said anything. Goro thought it would be different this time around, that having someone to spend his birthday with would finally get rid of the bad memories. But even without meaning to, Akira is a walking reminder of all the lonely evenings he spent wishing for a better future. 

Goro is sure that Akira carries nothing but good intentions, and his enthusiasm is both endearing and terrifying, but all the extra attention Goro’s been recently showered with is finally getting to him. Every kind-hearted gesture seems mocking, and the way everyone keeps tip-toeing around him only strengthens his assumption that whatever they’re planning, it’s nothing but pity. The former thieves are surely busy enough with their own lives, and Goro can’t imagine why they would be willing to waste their time for him. After everything he’s done, it’s understandable if they’ll barely even acknowledge his birthday. 

He can’t be sure if all of them are involved in Akira’s scheme, but knowing the raven, he would give Goro the world if it would make him happy. Surely inviting all of his friends to celebrate together is nothing compared to what Akira is capable of. Still, outright asking about it seems too obvious, and on the off chance that Goro is just being paranoid and nothing is actually going on, he doesn’t want to make it seem like he’s desperate for attention.

Which leaves him with no one but Morgana to drill for answers. 

While Akira is much easier to read than before, Goro still won’t be able to get anything out of him, no matter how excited he seems to be. Morgana, on the other hand, seems like a perfect victim to corner, and with the raven leaving the cat at the apartment quite often it was only a matter of time before the two of them would be left alone. 

His birthday is still few days away when Goro finds himself in the kitchen, preparing a dinner with Morgana who keeps looking over his shoulder. After all this time watching Akira cook, the brunette picked up how to make the simplest dishes so he wouldn’t need to rely on the raven to feed himself. Still, Morgana never really expressed interest in Goro’s culinary career, and it’s not hard to guess the cat has his own mission to carry out. 

Sometimes he wonders why they haven’t found Morgana a new home already.

“You’re getting into it, aren’t you?” The cat asks, sitting on the nearby counter.

“What, feeding myself?”

Morgana rolls his eyes. “I can give you some advice if you want. I used to watch Akira cook all the time, I bet you could be even better than him if you put your heart into it!”

Unfortunately, Akechi’s competitive streak isn’t reserved for cooking contests, so he just hums in affirmation.

“Maybe…” Morgana continues, “… we can get you something that would help? Like a cooking book?” The cat searches the brunette’s face for a sign of agreement, but finds nothing. To be honest, Akechi finds it hard to enjoy cooking, it always seemed like a waste of time when he could simply order take-out while doing far more important things in the meantime.

“Honestly, I enjoy Akira’s cooking far more than mine. I don’t think he’ll mind me staying out of the kitchen.” Akechi says.

Morgana brightens up and smirks. “Sooo… You like it when he cooks for you, hmmm?” 

This is ridiculous.

“Yes, I enjoy when he’s not letting me starve quite a bit.” The brunette replies with a deadpan expression, not letting his eyes stray from the chopping board. 

He hears Morgana sigh, “So what-“

“And before you ask, he knows what my favorites are.” Akechi interrupts.

“That’s-…! I wasn’t gonna ask you anything!” 

Akechi smiles and turns around to face the cat. “Morgana… What is it all about?” He asks cautiously. Maybe by some miracle they won’t need to dance around the subject. 

“I’m just curious! We rarely talk when Akira is around.”

Never mind.

“Is it about my birthday?” Akechi finally asks.

Morgana looks surprised, his eyes widening as he speaks up excitedly “W-Wait, your birthday’s coming up?”

Akechi sighs. The cat’s feigned amazement is way too easy to see through. “What are you planning? The both of you are not as inconspicuous as you think.”

“I’m not telling!” He stands up defiantly. “Akira will kill me if I’ll say anything.”

Great. It’s even worse than Akechi thought. “Listen.” He says and leans on the counter. “I don’t want you to tell me anything. I appreciate the thought, but I’d rather you forget about this altogether, okay?”

“Oh, hell no!” Morgana exclaims. “After everything Akira put me through we can’t just forget about your birthday!”

If the preparations are such a traumatic experience, Akechi can’t imagine what the end result would look like. “I already have everything I need. To ask for more would be an arrogance on my part, and I don’t want to inconvenience you even more than I already did.” 

Morgana frowns and speaks up with indignation. “Hey! You’re not an inconvenience. We can’t just leave you alone, you’re one of us now.”

One of them… Even if they think that, Akechi has a hard time believing it. In the recent months he’s been continuously invited to hang out with them whenever the opportunity arose, and with Akira’s insistence he never really had a chance to decline . Denying them is not an option anymore, but it doesn’t stop Akechi from making himself as small as possible whenever they spend time together. To know that he could be the center of their attention once again is making him nauseous. 

“Please. It would make me feel better if I knew you’re not going out of your way for my sake. You have already done so much for me, and I know I don’t deserve even half of it.”

Morgana winces and walks up to Akechi. “Akira would whoop your ass if he heard you say it.”

Akechi laughs breathlessly. “That’s why I’m talking to _you_. I need you to tell him to call it off. Whatever all of you were planning.”

The cat sighs and looks up with sad eyes. “Is it really going to make you happy?”

Akechi smiles unsurely. “It is.” He says through gritted teeth.

And if for the next few days Akira seems a little bit more distant, Akechi just needs to deal with it.

~~~~~

Despite his better judgment, on the second day of June Akechi ends up in the Underground Mall first thing in the morning. The message on his phone was already waiting for him when he woke up, and with Akira hovering over him it was clear that the brunette wasn’t going to weasel his way out of that one. 

This is fine. It’s just another meeting with him as a decoration. Nothing out of the ordinary. If anything will be out of place Akechi can just bolt out of there. 

Walking around the corner he notices Ann, Makoto, and Haru chatting vividly, and despite his growing apprehension, he’s happy he won’t be the only conversation partner. 

Not like he plans on speaking up unprompted. After all, even after all these months, Akechi did not have a chance to have a proper talk with young Okumura, and when it comes to hiding their true feelings, she is far more skilled than Akechi. 

“Goro! Over here!” He hears Ann shouting excitedly. Out of all of them, she is the one he is inclined to believe the most about being happy to see him. 

“Hello Akechi.” Makoto says, followed by a curt nod from Haru. This is going to be a long day. 

“Hello. I hope I haven’t kept you waiting for long.” He replies.

“No, no, we’re just getting started. I hope you’re ready.” Ann says vaguely with a sly grin. 

“For what?”

“Usually when we’re shopping, we tend to get a little carried away. “ Makoto chimes in. “Ann thought it would be a good idea to hire you as our hanger.”

“I believe porter would be a better word.” Haru corrects her, wearing a smile that could be considered pleasant for anyone who doesn’t know any better.

If becoming a hanger would grant Akechi a privilege of remaining silent, he’ll gladly be one. Although, when he thought about being a decoration, he never meant it in a literal sense. 

If Akechi had any doubts whether it’s another one of Akira’s schemes to celebrate his birthday, they’re already long gone. For the next hour he’s keeping the girls company on their shopping endeavors, providing his insight whether they asked about certain outfits and paying them simple complements if he thought it was acceptable to do so. 

It’s not like they should take his suggestions seriously. He knows very well that his old sweater vest became a well known meme among the group, and Akechi refused to show his face to the group for a week after one of them recognized him wearing Akira’s clothes. 

Hell, even his old Metaverse outfit gives him nightmares. Who even wears stripes these days?

After another hour, and several shopping bags Akechi was forced to carry, he became vulnerable to the girls’ whims of making him their model. With his hands occupied, he finds himself unwillingly trying on sunglasses and hats in different shapes and forms, each one making him look more ridiculous than the other. 

“Hold on.” Haru says, taking off the oversized shades and the cap Akechi is currently wearing. “I have an idea.”

If it didn’t sound ominous on its own, Akechi sees her grabbing a pink straw hat which she quickly puts on his head. So far, the brunette was spared from seeing himself in the mirror, but Haru tugs at his sleeve until he’s standing right in front of it. 

Surprisingly, it’s not as bad as he expected. Pink isn’t really his color, and the hat is just slightly too big and keeps sliding off to the side. The small bow on the brim isn’t making him feel any better, but he doesn’t feel nearly as humiliated as he probably should. That is, until Haru smiles mischievously and takes something out of her bag. 

One minute later he is standing in front of a mirror with a tiny ponytail tied with a ribbon, the girls giggling uncontrollably and Ann snapping pictures with her phone. 

If this is his penance, then so be it.

“Oh my god Goro, you look so cute!” Ann says, still laughing.

“Say…” Makoto tries to stifle the laughter. “Do you think we can make him put on a dress to complete the picture?” 

“Oh!” Haru exclaims excitedly. “I think he would make a charming girl.” She says with delight. 

During the short exchange, Akechi’s face managed to blend in perfectly with the color of the hat, the blush slowly taking over his ears and his neck. Fortunately, no one seems to be paying them any attention, because any more audience and Akechi would surely run out of the store with no plans of returning. 

“Ok, line up, girls.” Ann says, and suddenly Akechi finds himself in the center of the group. “Say cheese!” 

The brunette has only a second to react before Ann lifts up her phone and snaps a picture. Admittedly, the attire is not something Akechi would want anyone to see, but at the moment it doesn’t really matter. When he sees the picture, he can’t help but feel a rush of emotions he didn’t expect.

He looks ridiculous, that’s for sure, but it’s not something he wasn’t already anticipating. The blush on his face is still present, but there is something else that grabs his attention. 

He is smiling. A genuine, careless smile that looks nothing like the practiced, stiff grimace he is used to. A smile he would never expect to see on himself, especially on a day like this. All these years of playing pretend, enduring the empty affection of the masses, and here he is, happy and laughing in the company of the last people who should be making him feel like this. 

He turns around to hide the tears welling up in his eyes, and hears the lively chatter of the girls behind him. Maybe he can finally let go of the past, if only for today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bringing back this series bacause I love it and I miss it. Also I didn't want to write too much of a backstory if there already is one, so check out the previous parts if you want!
> 
> The thing is, I can't deal with multi-chapter stories anymore (I know this is one, but it's more of a long one-shot), they're making me way too anxious and I know they would probably take me forever to finish anyway. Also with all the great writers out there, I highly doubt that I would be able to do them justice and while writing them I just kept being frustrated with myself for not making it more interesting. Nothing I wrote sounded right and I kept deleting big chunks of the story until I deleted all my unfinished stories altogether. So I'm sticking with one-shots for probably forever.
> 
> I started writing it a week ago, but it turns out I won't be able to finish all of it for Goro's birthday. Still, I wanted to get something out, and I hope I'll finish it by the end of the next week.
> 
> If I could draw, I would definitely add a picture of Goro in a pink straw hat. Luckily I have amazing readers who can compensate for my lack of artistic streak, so lovely Rie made a gorgeous drawing you can see right [here](https://thingscalledpotato.tumblr.com/post/186301569622/that-one-scene).


	2. Chapter 2

After the unfortunate hat incident, Goro leaves the Underground Mall in a surprisingly good mood. The girls assured him that they will manage to carry the bags on their own, and let him go with the promise of repeating the magical experience of humiliating him further someday in the future. 

He’s more okay with it than he thought he would be, especially after getting Akira’s feedback on Ann’s picture which she immediately sent him. Right after leaving the store, Goro received a message with an eloquent response in form of several heart emojis which he felt obliged to return, adding a little hat and a ribbon at the end and smiling like an idiot.

He gets another message on his way out of the mall, just in time for the girls to disappear around the corner. 

**Ryuji** : hey man, gym at 2, you up?

For a short time Goro’s been a… part of the team, as he’s still reluctant to call it such, he considers the time he spends at the gym to be oddly therapeutic. In the midst of his workout, the only thoughts he allows himself to indulge in are _run_ , _lift_ , and _water_. Occasionally _Akira_ , whenever the time allows and the raven decides to join them. 

Not to mention that the company of Ryuji guarantees no delving into the crevices of his mind and emotional breakdowns, save for Goro’s relentless paranoia which convinces him that the casual talk about the weather is a metaphor for his clouded mind in his past life. 

Unfortunately, seeing how it’s already past noon, the trip back home to grab his gym clothes would take way too long to make it back to the gym on time. 

**Goro** : Sorry, I don’t have anything with me.

Few seconds later he gets a reply from Akira’s number.

 **Akira** : I got you covered, meet you at the entrance :*

Well… he’s not going to deny himself Akira’s company. Even if the plan to distract him for the day is getting more and more transparent with every minute. 

When he arrives at the gym, Ryuji and Akira are already waiting for him, both of them discussing something vigorously. 

“… a bit too much? Must have been expensive…”

“Nah, it’s nothing.”

For his own good, Goro decides to pretend he didn’t hear anything and chimes in.

“Hello. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

The boys turn around, a little startled. Akira recovers fast and flashes him a sly grin. “No, Ryuji was just telling me about his favorite team. All the goals they scored in the last game, right?” He turns to Ryuji and nudges him.

“Dude, they didn’t score nothin”.” The blonde shakes his head in confusion.

“Yeah, just like you.” Akira turns around and enters the gym, followed by Ryuji who runs after him and smacks him in the head. With a short laugh, Goro goes after them. 

When Akira hands him his bag as they walk into the locker room, Goro is pleased to see his mp3 player and a bottle of water among the contents. Music is a perfect distraction where there is no one around to talk to, and even when Goro decides to tag along, Ryuji usually ends up on the other side of the room. Which is exactly what happens when the training starts. While the blonde would rather work on his muscles, Goro is more of a runner type and prefers the treadmill to any form of heavy lifting. Akira, who apparently has no preference other than to be closer to Goro, is surprisingly out of his sight for today.

It’s nothing out of ordinary, his day progressing as it is. Some days he just wakes up with no plans at all and suddenly finds himself on the other side of the city, caught in the middle of a shopping spree or a casual hangout. He’s trying, sometimes, to be involved as much as possible, even when leaving the house is the last thing on his mind. It’s difficult to hide the lethargy that follows him outside, and Goro’s grateful whenever the group lets him switch to autopilot and doesn’t call him out.

At least today is different. He’s more amused than anything at the groups’ obvious struggle to keep him occupied. There is no doubt in his mind that as soon as he leaves the gym, something else is going to come up that will suddenly require his presence. 

The only unknown factor is Akira, who seems to be entirely too happy for someone who spent an entire previous day moping. Something tells Goro that even his pleas to ignore his birthday altogether will not be answered. The gym can’t be the only thing Akira has in mind for today. 

Driven by curiosity, Goro leaves the treadmill a little earlier than usual and heads towards the others. He spots Ryuji leaning on one of the machines next to Akira, who is laying on his back, breathing heavily and struggling to lift the weights over his head. The blonde keeps talking, seemingly oblivious to Akira fighting the battle for his life.

Goro might be able to overhear what they’re saying, if not for the loud music blasting from the speakers. As it is, they notice him almost immediately when he walks up to them, Akira steeling his expression like the dumbbells he’s holding weight nothing at all. 

“101, 102, 103…” He proudly proclaims, while Ryuji shakes his head.

“No way, he barely even started.” 

Goro smiles and takes the weights from Akira, and the raven sighs in relief. “If you want the real heavy lifting, I suggest a shopping trip to the Underground Mall. With an addition of a wonderful company, may I add.”

Akira finally gets up from the bench. “Don’t make it sound like we’re boring you.”

“Right, we’re a goddamn delight to be around.” Ryuji adds. “But man, why do they always chose you to go shopping with?”

“He _is_ the most aesthetically pleasing out of all of us.” Akira winks at Goro who rolls his eyes.

Ryuji frowns and shakes his head. “You sound like Yusuke.”

Akira drapes an arm around Goro and leans in. “He’s just jealous because Ann rarely hangs out with him these days.”

Ryuji sighs and goes with them back into the locker room. “I don’t even know what to do anymore.”

“If I may, a direct approach seems to be the best course of action.” Goro suggests. Ryuji’s unsuccessful advances for the last few months were obvious to everyone besides Ann, and with time everyone decided to offer their support in one way or another. “You’ve known each other for a long time, it would be reasonable for her to believe that friendship is as far as you two will get.”

“Tell her you were a Phantom Thief once, maybe that will impress her.” Akira says while Goro stifles a laugh. 

“Alright, alright!” Ryuji throws his arms in the air. “I wish I was as obvious as the two of you back then.”

Both boys smile at each other. Despite the overflow of bad moments, the beginning of their relationship is a fond memory to revisit. 

“Well.” Akira starts. “Sometimes I wish the circumstances were as simple as yours, Ryuji.”

Before any of them manages to delve further into the subject, Goro gets a text message. Little earlier than anticipated, but expected nonetheless. While the others change the subject and switch their clothes back to something more casual, Goro unlocks his phone.

 **Futaba** : new ep of featherman is out, you in?

 **Goro** : What kind of ridiculous question is that?

 **Futaba** : lets get this bread (￣ω￣)/

~~~~~

Since there is no use trying to keep up his appearances, Goro has already decided to embrace his fate as a nerd and enjoy it. Fortunately, most of the group was already familiar with his hidden hobby (he was never subtle about it anyway), and judged him only a little bit. Akira and Futaba seems to be particularly ecstatic about it, since their little binge watching group has grown to three members. 

This time, however, Akira isn’t going to accompany them. Once they all left the gym, the raven took Goro’s bag with him and told him to have fun at Futaba’s, heading home and telling Goro he’ll meet him there. 

Nobody has even said a word about his birthday and Goro secretly wishes it could stay this way.

When he enters Futaba’s room, he notices that since Akira isn’t going to be joining them today, Yusuke has decided to accompany them instead. The artist has already made himself at home, notebook in hand and pencil in the other, doodling absent-mindedly as usual. 

“Hello, Yusuke. I didn’t know you are a fan of Featherman.” Akechi says politely.

After taking a second too long to reply, the artist speaks up. “It’s been hard to find a source of inspiration lately. I was hoping that the show can provide the additional stimuli so I’ll be able to continue my work.”

“He’s eaten all my food.”Futaba chimes in, visibly annoyed, and Goro tries to hide a laugh. “You think a walk to the supermarket is going to do something extra for your brain, Inari?”

“I can go.” Goro volunteers. “You can start watching without me if you don’t want to wait any more.”

“No way. We’re in this together. I can’t pass up an opportunity to roast you in real time when your ship isn’t going to be canon yet again.”

Oh, the struggles of a desperate fan.

“Sit down.” Futaba continues. “The food for our souls is what matters the most anyway.”

Goro’s stomach growls in agreement. He’ll have to come back home soon or it’s going to eat itself otherwise.

“I apologize.” Yusuke speaks up. “I might have gotten too absorbed in my work and forgotten about dinner. I’ll make it up to the both of you as soon as I can.” 

“It’s fine.” To be perfectly honest, Goro can sympathize with this particular scenario. “I can’t remember the number of times I skipped dinner because of work.”

“Yeah, good thing you live with a cooking enthusiast.” Futaba adds. “Come on, we’ve been stuck on a cliffhanger for a week, I want something new to be salty about.”

And so they spend the next twenty minutes in a relative silence, broken occasionally by Goro and Futaba’s commentary and Yusuke’s quite sighs in the background. When it’s over, Goro is left wondering if they even saw the same episode, judging by Futaba’s dissatisfaction and the brunette’s contentment.

“Wait, that’s it?” Futaba exclaims when the credit rolls start. “Was the cliffhanger for nothing? Does my feelings mean nothing to the producers?”

“I think you’re exaggerating.” Goro says, stretching lazily on his seat. “It’s important to take a little breather every now and then. Not every episode needs to be action-packed.”

“Excuse me.” Yusuke interrupts. “I need to ask you to limit your movement. Drawing from memory is not my strong asset.”

Goro turns around with a frown to see Yusuke reflecting the frown back at him, the pencil frozen in his hand and the drawing in question hidden from the view. It’s not the same as the feeling of having his picture taken without his permission, as it happed a lot before, but it’s suspiciously familiar. Maybe he really _is_ aesthetically pleasing, as Akira put it. 

Going back to his previous position on the chair, Goro continues. “Don’t you think it’s better when the action scenes are only accentuated rather than continuous? Where else would you find the time for team bonding otherwise?”

“I don’t want the team bonding, that’s how ships are made and I can’t play these sick games anymore. I’ve been hurt enough.” Futaba cries, voice filled with despair found only in experienced shippers. “I just want my mindless entertainment.”

“Well, to be fair this show is still more action-oriented than the majority I’ve seen. You don’t want to be associated with the ones where the characters are dying left and right.”

Futaba sighs. “Don’t even tell me. Every new episode is like a minefield.” She reaches for her phone. “Hey, you want to order something?”

Goro shakes his head. “I think I’ll better get home. Akira is waiting for me.” There is no guarantee that the raven implied to see Goro as soon as he’s done with the episode, but his stomach is gnawing at him and Akira seems like the usual excuse he would go for anyway. 

“Yeah, I bet he does.” Futaba says. This doesn’t bode well, actually.

“What do you mean?”

“I wasn’t supposed to keep you here for long anyway.” Futaba says vaguely.

“So you were just a filler episode?” Goro asks playfully.

Futaba shoots him a pointed glare. “Get out of here.”

He does eventually leave, despite the curiosity from Futaba’s matter-of-fact comment. Goro is certain that Akira is hiding something, there is no way that the raven will let such an important date go unnoticed, even if Goro decided otherwise.

~~~~~

Before going home, Goro drops by the nearby pastry shop and grabs something to eat before he’ll die of starvation. He remembers Akira’s favorites and buys something for him as well, even though it’s not going to fill their stomachs, and assuming the raven hasn’t already supplied their fridge with everything they need.

When Goro enters the apartment, Akira is nowhere in sight. He _does_ hear some unidentifiable rustling coming from the living room. “I’m home!”

The rustling grows louder before stopping abruptly and Akira soon emerges from the room. “Hi! How’s your day been?”

“It was fine.” Goro says while taking of his shoes. “Rather tiring, but I had fun. I brought you something.” 

He puts the bag with sweets on the kitchen table, and Akira takes the contents out. “Oh wow, weren’t these a limited edition?”

“I got lucky.” Goro winks at him.

Akira smiles and kisses him on the cheek. “Not as lucky as I did.”

Goro starts to think he will never get tired of moments like these. Even if Akira isn’t planning anything after all, the life they share together is already the greatest gift he could ever ask for. 

“Do you want to eat something? I’ve got all of your favorites.” Of course.

Despites being on the brink of starvation just a few minutes ago, there is something else that Goro needs to get done. “I need to take a shower before that. I’m still gross from the gym and haven’t had a chance to clean myself properly.”

“Want me to help you?” Akira asks with a mischevious undertone in his voice.

Goro tries to hide his smile. “Maybe later.” He says, and closes the bathroom doors behind him.

He lets his mind go blank for a few blissful minutes while the water runs down his body. Judging by Akira’s comment, he’ll be in need of another shower before the night comes, but it’ll do for now. Goro needs a moment to himself after a day spend in the other’s company, no matter how fun and light-hearted it might have been. 

After getting out of the shower and struggling to get his hair under control, he exits the bathroom to the sight of Akira setting up a whole feast in the living room. The table is flooded with the variety of dishes, from his favorite type of sushi to the chicken with rice and a small, decorated cake that looks too much like something given to children at their birthday parties. Which shouldn’t be surprising, really.

Despite the hunger that once again makes itself known, being hasty is probably the worst course of action seeing how eating everything at once will possibly end with an upset stomach. Still, Goro struggles to stop himself, especially when one look at the raven tells him he probably made everything by himself when Goro wasn’t home. 

“I see you’ve been busy.” Goro says while Akira grabs a red wine from the cabinet. It’s unlikely the raven is even trying to be subtle anymore. 

“Yeah, well… I figured you’d be hungry, and I had some free time, so…” Akira trails off.

“So you made us a whole feast out of boredom?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

For some reason all of Akira’s posture screams insecurity, like he’s afraid that after putting so much effort into (not)celebrating Goro’s birthday in _some_ way, the brunette would suddenly realize what’s going on and reject everything Akira has made for him. Luckily for the raven, Goro has no intention of letting all this food go to waste, and no matter what plans Akira still has for the evening, Goro is ready to accept and thank for everything the younger boy will throw at him.

He already feels bad for making Akira spend an entire day in the kitchen. 

When everything is set neatly on the table, every dish lined up and the boys seated on the couch, an awkward silence washes over them. Goro can feel a wave of uncertainty coming from Akira and doesn’t quite know what to do about it. Since the first several times they met after being separated for two years, Akira has never been this hesitant, and the silence leaves Goro confused.

“So, uhh…” Akira struggles to start.

“Yes?”

The raven sighs, long and deep. “You probably know why we did all that, so I’m not going to pretend like everything is just a coincidence. Morgana told me you really didn’t want any of that, but…” Another sigh. “Happy birthday, Goro. I, uhh… hope you’re not mad.” He finishes with an uncertain smile, carding his fingers through his messy, black hair. 

Goro responds with a smile of his own. “I could never be mad at you for doing anything for me, Akira. But you’re right. It’s rare for me to meet everyone on the same day, so it wasn’t hard for me to guess it was deliberate.”

Akira laughs. “Yeah, sorry for that. I still had some errands to run, and I really didn’t want to run into you. I promise, I’ll make it up to you someday.”

Goro shakes his head. “Akira, really. It’s enough. This is enough.” He says softly, gesturing at the table, unsure if he’s grateful for the food or the entire life they now share together. 

Akira taps his foot and bites his lip. “Well…” He hides his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “There is something else that I want to give you.” 

The words ‘ _you’ve given me everything that I need already_ ’ are trying to make it past Goro’s lips, but seeing Akira’s nervousness, the brunette keeps quite. 

He can’t quite contain the small gasp he lets out at the sight of a small box in Akira’s hand. Neither can he stop the rush of emotions and the watering of his eyes when the raven opens the box, revealing two silver bands, glimmering faintly under the setting sun. 

Everything Akira wanted to say is put on hold when Goro can’t even wait five seconds before bursting into tears. Before closing his eyes, the brunette sees several emotions flickering through Akira’s face, the confusion making them all blend into concern. 

Goro wants to reassure him, to explain himself and scream at the top of his lungs that it’s probably the best day of his entire goddamn life, but all he can do is sob into Akira’s shoulder after the raven puts the box away and sweeps Goro into his arms. 

When few minutes pass and Goro is finally able to more or less get himself under control, he leans away from Akira. After seeing the wet mess he left on his shoulder, he figures it’s not Akira who will need to have some making up to do. 

“Are you okay?” Akira asks gently, his hands still on Goro’s shoulders. 

The brunette nods, doubting whether he can make it through an entire sentence without his voice cracking in the middle of it. 

“I’m sorry.” Akira continuous. “I should have said something.” 

Goro shakes his head. “Don’t apologize.” He whispers.

The brunette hangs his head and twiddles with his thumbs, seeing Akira from the corner of his eyes. The raven looks around hesitantly, sighing and picking up the box which was left temporarily forgotten on the table. “Maybe it’s too sudden. I understand if you don’t like it.”

Goro shakes his head like his life depended on it. After a moment, the brunette sighs deeply and turns around, finally facing Akira and looking at him as if prompting him to continue.

“Goro.” The raven starts, his voice no longer uncertain. “I know it might be too soon, but I was late before and I want to make sure that it won’t happen ever again. For a long time I was miserable, there was always something missing from my life. But now that you’re in it, I know I want nothing more than for you to stay with me forever.”

Akira clears his throat and looks down at the rings. “It’s nothing official, not _yet_ I hope... So if someday you decide you want nothing to do with me after all, you can still back down...” Goro shakes his head and laughs breathlessly at Akira’s unsure expression. “So I wanted us to have these. Even if they’re nothing but a symbol for now. And one day, I would be honored if I could give you another ring, a real one this time.” 

As expected, Goro wasn’t able to make it through Akira’s speech without crying again, but it doesn’t mean he won’t try his best to at least show some sign of gratitude, so he smiles awkwardly and turns away immediately after realizing how pitiful it looks. Akira only laughs, and Goro can’t help but laugh with him, a small, miserable sound that hopefully conveys everything the brunette wants to say.

When Goro can’t stand keeping Akira in the dark anymore, he steels himself and looks the raven straight in the eyes, holding his gaze firm and proclaiming steadily. “Akira, I don’t think-“ His voice cracks. “I don’t think you realize how much I want this.” 

Akira lights up instantly, looking around frantically between Goro and the rings, sighing with relief and resting his eyes on the box. He takes out one of the rings, holding it in his hand and looking back at Goro. “Can I?”

The brunette nods, feeling Akira taking his hand and putting on the ring, and Goro wonders absurdly how can it fit on his finger so perfectly. He never thought he would live to see the day like this, where everything suddenly falls into place, where he and Akira can be together and look forward to a bright future. He never thought he’d see a day where he’s so utterly and hopelessly happy and in love, it nearly drives him crazy. 

So he stares at the ring on his finger, speechless and disbelieving that it’s happening to him, when Akira puts his hand on Goro’s cheek, and the brunette looks up just in time to be caught in a gentle kiss, slow and tender, and once again it brings tears to his eyes. Goro breaks away only after realizing that the other ring is still in the box. He takes it out and puts it on Akira’s finger unceremoniously, eager to see both of the rings finding their owners and glimmering softly in a silent agreement. 

Only when the box is empty does Goro look back up at Akira, and sees that the raven is not as impervious to his feelings as the brunette previously thought. Goro notices tears making their way down Akira’s cheeks, and when the younger boy catches him staring, he rubs his eyes furiously. “Sorry… Just something in my eyes.”

Goro laughs, happily and carefree this time, and instead of letting Akira hide from him, he surges forward and pulls him into another kiss. This time it’s not slow and soft, but passionate and loving, both of them exchanging promises too big for words, and feelings too strong to describe. When they finally break away, they press their foreheads together and laugh, still too overwhelmed to say anything.

When both of them calm down, Akira stands up and speaks up enthusiastically. “We should celebrate.”

The raven grabs the bottle of wine and pours it into the glasses. Goro stands up as well, without a reason other than it feels appropriate, and when Akira puts the wine back, they both grab the glasses. Goro briefly sees his own reflection staring back at him, happy and smiling, with no more tears on his face that the brunette hopes he’ll never see again.

They stand in front of each other and clink their glasses, the sound reverberating in the silence of the apartment.

“To the future!” Akira makes a toast, holding up the glass and putting it to his lips.

And Goro, for once looking forward to the one thing he never thought he would get, answers. 

“To the future!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After that, Akira gives Goro all the gifts the others got for him, including the straw hat and Yusuke's sketch.
> 
> Sorry for the delay, I'm starting to think I hate writing.


End file.
